Elon Musk to reveal Mars gameplan before Starship Super Heavy launch next week
SpaceX is gearing up for the ninth test flight of its massive Starship rocket, with liftoff scheduled for next week from the company's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.The much-anticipated launch will mark another critical step in SpaceX's quest to develop a fully reusable spacecraft capable of carrying humans to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO, confirmed the launch window and added excitement by announcing that he will deliver a special company talk at Starbase outlining SpaceX's detailed plan for reaching and settling Mars.advertisement
'We're making great progress with Starship,' Musk posted on social media. 'After the next flight, I'll give a talk at Starbase explaining our Mars game plan in detail.'The upcoming test flight will focus on improving Starship's re-entry and landing systems, following the partial successes and spectacular explosions seen in earlier flights. The last test, Flight 8, achieved several milestones, including a successful stage separation and controlled descent, but ended with the vehicle breaking apart during re-entry.Engineers have since made modifications to the heat shield and flight software, hoping to achieve a soft splashdown this time.Starship, standing nearly 400 feet tall, is the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. It is designed to be fully reusable, with both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage intended to return to Earth for rapid turnaround launches. advertisementThe rocket is central to Nasa's Artemis program for returning astronauts to the Moon and is a key part of Musk's vision for making humanity a multiplanetary species.Musk's presentation is expected to provide new insights into how Starship will pave the way for human missions to Mars in the coming decade.Must Watch
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India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Indian astronaut completes full dress rehearsal with Ax-4 crew ahead of space launch
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to soar into space as part of Axiom Space's upcoming Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission. Ahead of the space launch, Shukla and his fellow crew members completed a full-dress rehearsal of launch day operations with SpaceX teams, including a critical static fire test of the Falcon 9 rocket. advertisementThe mission is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, June 10, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in static fire - a routine but crucial pre-launch procedure - was completed successfully, and teams are now reviewing the data while monitoring weather conditions along the rocket's ascent corridor to ensure optimal launch readiness. Shukla will serve as the pilot of the Ax-4 mission, which marks India's return to human spaceflight after more than four decades. Joining him are mission commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, Hungary's Tibor Kapu, and Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, both flying as mission specialists. The mission's lift-off comes 41 years after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to journey into space aboard the Russian Soyuz T-11 in 1984. advertisement The crew will travel aboard a newly developed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft mounted atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The spacecraft, which arrived at Launch Pad 39A's hangar ahead of its maiden voyage, will carry the four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Axiom's fourth private human spaceflight slated for launch on June 8, the Ax-4 mission was delayed by two days to ensure all systems were optimally prepared. The Dragon capsule is expected to dock with the ISS on Wednesday, June 11, at around 10 PM IST (12:30 PM EDT), following a journey of approximately 28 their stay aboard the ISS, the Ax-4 crew will carry out around 60 scientific investigations spanning human health, Earth observation, and material sciences. The research will involve collaborations across 31 countries, making it one of the most internationally diverse commercial space missions to anticipation builds, the Ax-4 mission is being closely watched across the globe, particularly in India, where Shukla's flight has reignited public excitement for human space exploration and highlighted the country's growing footprint in global space Watch
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
From classroom to cosmos: Shubhanshu Shukla's wife looks back & ahead
HARBOR ISLAND-MELBOURNE BEACH (FLORIDA): When Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla lifts off to space aboard the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission on June 10 for a two-week stay on the ISS, it won't just mark a milestone for India. For his wife Kamna, it's another chapter in a life shaped quietly around duty, friendship, and long familiarity. Speaking exclusively to TOI just days ahead of the launch from Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre here, Kamna shared what this journey has meant to her—as a partner, as a parent, and as someone who's known 'Shux' since childhood. 'As you go on this incredible journey, I am extremely proud of you. You're not just reaching for the stars, you are inspiring so many of us back home. Just shine bright and do your duty to your best, as you always do.' Kamna's Message To Shux 'It was in the beginning of 2020,' she recalled, when it first felt real that Shukla might actually go to space. 'One of the criteria for Gaganyaan aspirants was that they had to be test pilots. It's such a small community that we were elated, because whoever it may be, he would be known to us. That small idea has become an incredible reality now.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo At home, Shux is a man of routine and quiet resolve. 'He loves his workouts, non-fiction books, to goof around with his six-year-old son. But when you talk about his fearlessness, he's taken immense risks. He left his life as a fighter pilot and stepped into the uncharted world of spaceflight. From making decisions in microseconds to doing delicate experiments in micrograms—it's a complete shift,' she said. Her favourite image of him, though, is less about space and more about spirit. 'There's a never-say-never attitude in him that's very special. You'll often find him quoting Dory from Finding Nemo—just keep swimming. There may be a fire anywhere, but he focuses on solutions. That's his forte.' Of the rest of the Ax-4 crew, Kamna said they are now more than colleagues. 'They call themselves friends for life. Their experience in microgravity will bind them forever. I'm so glad Shux found these friends—and all of them adore our son Sid.' Kamna and Shukla first met in primary school. 'We've studied together since Class 3. We've been best friends. I've known him as Gunjan, as Shubhanshu—the shy guy in our classroom—who's now inspiring so many people.' But being married to someone on this path means living with distance and missed milestones. 'These things do get overwhelming, especially Shux missing Sid's early childhood. He finds that deeply painful,' she admitted. 'But he's incredibly focused, like Arjuna [from Mahabharat]—he only sees the target.' Her way of coping has been to embrace anticipation over anxiety: 'You can either be overwhelmed or be excited. We chose excitement. Nothing worthwhile comes without risk. With challenge comes glory—that's the mindset.' Sid is still too young to fully grasp what's unfolding. 'It's all just exciting for him. He thinks everyone's father is an astronaut. When we visited Nasa, he was thrilled to see rockets and suits. But when asked what he liked most, he said, 'deers in Nasa's park are very nice'. That's his comprehension for now. I'm sure when he grows up, he'll be super proud.' Asked how she'd want Sid to remember this time, Kamna said: 'I'd tell him his father was the chosen one. Lucky to represent his beautiful country and its 1.4 billion people. Fortune favours the brave, and Shux is the bravest person I know. He left his love for flying to enter an unknown territory. He reaches for the stars—and yet, he remains grounded.' Back home, they know this is only the beginning. 'He has immense responsibility. The Axiom mission is a stepping stone for India's Gaganyaan programme . Whatever he learns will help the country. He'll be quite busy once he returns.' But first, the launch. And for Kamna, it's like every other take-off in a fighter pilot's life. 'I never attended his take-offs. Out of sight, out of mind—that's how I cope. I haven't thought about the launch day. We go with the flow. We're filled with gratitude. We'll take it as it comes.'
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Mike Johnson downplays Musk's influence, says Republicans will pass Trump's tax, budget bill
With an uncharacteristically feistiness, Speaker Mike Johnson took clear sides Sunday in President Donald Trump 's breakup with mega-billionaire Elon Musk . The Republican House leader and staunch Trump ally said Musk's criticism of the GOP's massive tax and budget policy bill will not derail the measure, and he downplayed Musk's influence over the GOP-controlled Congress. "I didn't go out to craft a piece of legislation to please the richest man in the world," Johnson said on ABC's "This Week." "What we're trying to do is help hardworking Americans who are trying to provide for their families and make ends meet," Johnson insisted. Johnson said he has exchanged text messages with Musk since the former chief of Trump 's Department of Government Efficiency came out against the GOP bill. Musk called it an "abomination" that would add to US debts and threaten economic stability. He urged voters to flood Capitol Hill with calls to vote against the measure, which is pending in the Senate after clearing the House. His criticism sparked an angry social media back-and-forth with Trump, who told reporters over the weekend that he has no desire to repair his relationship with Musk. Live Events The speaker was dismissive of Musk's threats to finance opponents - even Democrats - of Republican members who back Trump's bill. "We've got almost no calls to the offices, any Republican member of Congress," Johnson said. "And I think that indicates that people are taking a wait and see attitude. Some who may be convinced by some of his arguments, but the rest understand: this is a very exciting piece of legislation." Johnson argued that Musk still believes "that our policies are better for human flourishing. They're better for the US economy. They're better for everything that he's involved in with his innovation and job creation and entrepreneurship." The speaker and other Republicans, including Trump's White House budget chief, continued their push back Sunday against forecasts that their tax and budget plans will add to annual deficits and thus balloon a national debt already climbing toward USD 40 trillion. Johnson insisted that Musk has bad information, and the speaker disputed the forecasts of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that scores budget legislation. The bill would extend the 2017 Trump tax cuts, cut spending and reduce some other levies but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by USD 2.4 trillion over the decade, according to the CBO's analysis. The speaker countered with arguments Republicans have made for decades: That lower taxes and spending cuts would spur economic growth that ensure deficits fall. Russell Vought, who leads the White House Office of Budget and Management, said on Fox News Sunday that CBO analysts base their models of "artificial baselines." Because the 2017 tax law set the lower rates to expire, CBO's cost estimates, Vought argued, presuming a return to the higher rates before that law went into effect. Vought acknowledged CBO's charge from Congress is to analyze legislation and current law as it is written. But he said the office could issue additional analyses, implying it would be friendlier to GOP goals. Asked whether the White House would ask for alternative estimates, Vought again put the burden on CBO, repeating that congressional rules allow the office to publish more analysis. Other Republicans, meanwhile, approached the Trump-Musk battle cautiously. "As a former professional fighter, I learned a long time ago, don't get between two fighters," said Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin on CNN's "State of the Union." He even compared the two billionaire businessmen to a married couple. "President Trump is a friend of mine but I don't need to get, I can have friends that have disagreements," Mullin said. "My wife and I dearly love each other and every now and then, well actually quite often, sometimes she disagrees with me, but that doesn't mean that we can't stay focused on what's best for our family. Right now, there may be a disagreement but we're laser focused on what is best for the American people."
